Stuffing box



Feb. 26, 1952 E. M. HOWARD STUFFING BOX Filed May 3, 1949 swarm tom :24/5 #1. HOW/7R0) ATTOR N EY Patented Feb. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STUFFING BOX Ellis M. Howard, Rising Star, Tex.

Application May 3, 1949, Serial No. 91,179

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in .stuffing boxes, and particularly to waste-retaining means therefor, adapted especially for collecting worn and broken particles of the stufiing box rings.

Stufiing boxes are customarily used on the polish rods of oil well pumps to sealofi the tubing around the polish rod at the upper end of the well. The reciprocating movement of the polish rod through the stuffing box in the operation of the pump causes the packing to wear and particles thereof to be carried downward along the polish rod in the tubing. These particles collect in and around the balls in the valves of the pump in the lower portion of the well. When these valves become fouled they cease to function satisfactorily. Then it becomes necessary to remove them from the well. This task requires from one to several days expense and loss of production, but has been required heretofore, with no satisfactory means provided for preventing the accumulation of the waste and particles from collecting in the pump.

An object of this invention is to eliminate the difiiculties encountered heretofore, whereby the worn and broken particles of the stufiing box rings would follow along the polish rod and accumulate in the valves of the pump, by collecting and confining such particles and removing them from the region of the stuffing box without passage down along the polish rod to the pump.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction of stuffing boxes by confining the packing against separation and following of particles from the packing along the polish rod to the pump valves and becoming separated from the stuffing box.

These objects may be accomplished according to certain embodiments of the invention by the provision of a recess in proximity to the stufiing box, either directly in the stuffing box itself or in a housing connected therewith to receive the particles broken or worn away from the stufiilng box rings and separate these from the polish rodagainst following along the rod to the area of the valves. A retainer ring preferably is provided in or adjacent the recess, fitting loosely about the polish rod to remove the particles therefrom and confining these in the recess. This retainer ring cooperates with a separate ring that acts against the packing for holding the latter in place in the stufing box, and together they form adequate provision for confin ing the packing and collecting any particles separating therefrom in a recess in the region of the in g 2 stufiing box against the danger of following along the polish rod.

The invention is illustrated in one embodiment in the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical sectional view through a stufiing box and flanged union, showing one form of the invention. Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown as applied to a portion of an oil well pump having a polish rod, generally designated at I, adapted for reciprocating movement by a pump jack for operating the pump piston in the well. The polish rod 1 extends througha tubing 2 in the well. The upper end of the tubing 2 has a nipple 3 connected therewith.

The upper end of the tubing nipple 3 is shown as connected with a flanged union comprising lower and upper sections 4 and 5, respectively. The section 4 is shown as coupled directly to the tubing nipple 3, forming a tight joint therewith, while the section 5 is secured to the lower section 4 as by bolts 6. The union sections 4 and 5 preferably are separated by a gasket 1 interposed therebetween to form a tight joint.

The stufiing box is connected directly with the flanged union. This Stu-fling box includes a casing 8 having a threaded nipple 9 on the lower end thereof screw-threaded directly into the top of the union section 5 around the polish rod l. The casing 8 has a collar l0 adjustably mounted on the upper end thereof, as by a screw-threaded connection with the housing, for vertical adjustment relative thereto. Handles l i are pivotally connected with the collar ID to facilitate adjustment of the latter.

Packing rings are shown at [2 in the stufiing box housing 8 and usually are formed of fiber or other non-metallic material. The packing rings 12 are seated upon a guide ring l3 and are confined by a follower ring M which acts on the uppermost packing ring I 2. The ring I4 is confined by a shoulder l5 in the collar 10. Upon adjustment of the collar [0, the pressure of the follower ring M on the packing l2 may be varied or increased, as desired. The upper surface of the guide ring I3 is concave at Hi to increase the pressure on the packing rings l2, tending to compress the latter effectively against the periphery of the polish rod I so as to improve the effectiveness of the packing.

The flanged union 45 provides a housing having a recess I! in the section 5 thereof at the lower end of the nipple 9 around the polish rod I. This recess I1 forms an enlarged opening around the polish rod to receive therein any waste particles that may follow down the polish rod from the packing 12. A waste retainer rin l8 surrounds the polish rod I Within the recess I'l, forming a relatively close fit on the periphery of the polish rod to prevent waste particles from passing through the recess IT on the surface of the polish rod and to collect these particles in the recess.

This waste retainer ring l8 has a, surrounding flange 19 received loosely in a groove 20 at the periphery of the recess, to allow the retainer ring 18 to float in the recess with the movements of the polish rod. Enough clearance is provided between the flange l9 and the groove 20 so as to allow the waste retainer ring I8 to be maintained in perfect alignment with the guide ring 13 and the compressed packing l2 thereabove. This will eliminate considerable wear on these metal parts.

The flanged union 4-5 may be formed as a casting, while the rings [3, l4 and 18 may be made of bronze, aluminum, or cast iron or other suitable metals. The packing rings l2 usually are of compressible packing material and may be compressed tightly in place .in the stufflng box casing 9 by the adjustment of the follower ring 54, thus forming an effective packing and permitting the use of fibrous packing material without danger of accumulation of waste particles therefrom in the valves of the pump. Such particles are collected in the recess I 1, being removed from the periphery of the'polish rod bythe waste retainer ring 88 as the polish rod reciprocates in the stufiing box. This prolongs materially the effective operation of the pump without the necessity of pulling the rods at frequent intervals,

andsaves the longdelay which has been required heretofore resulting inboth a loss of production and a considerable expense that is eliminated effectively to a very large'extentbythis invention.

The invention may be used in connection with any desired form of stufiing box, or other packing device, and is not restricted to the forms illustrated and described. This retaining ring particle accumulationmay be used in cooperation with a separate packing device or incorporated therein, as desired.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in certain embodiments, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention, except as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A stuffing box comprising a casing having a packing ring therein :adapted to receive a reciprocating polish rod therethrough, a housing connected to said casing, said housing havin an I annular recess provided and an annular groove 4 formed in a face thereof, said recess and said groove being coaxially aligned with said packing ring, a centrally apertured plate secured to said housing, said plate having a side thereof spaced from and parallel to one side of said groove, and

, a flanged waste retainer ring slidably mounted on said polish rod within said recess to remove particles of said packing ring from said rod for deposit within said recess, said flange extending between said parallel sides of said groove and having a diameter less than the diameter of said groove, and said flange having a thickness less than the axial dimension of said groove, whereby said 'flange waste retainer ring is free to move in said groove with the movement of said reciprocating polish rod.

-2. A stuffing box comprising a casing having a packing ring therein adapted to receive a polish rod therethrough, said rod having reciprocating movement, a housing connected with said casing,

said housing having an annular recess and a groove formed in a face thereof, said recess and said groove being coaxially aligned with respect to said ring, and 'a waste retainer ring mounted on said rod within said recess to remove particles of said packing ring from said polish .rod 'for deposit within said recess, said Waste retainer ring having a peripheral flange extending within and being confined by said groove, said flange having a diameter less than the diameter of said groove-and having a thickness less than the axial dimension or" said groove, whereby said flanged waste retainer ring is free 'toimove laterally with said rod Within the confines of .saidgroove with the movement of said polish rod.

3. A stuffing box as defined in claim 2, and said groove formed in said housing being disposed .on one side of said recess and communicating therewith.

ELLIS M. HOWARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 950,268 Weston et al Feb. 22, 1910 1,387,301 Osborne Aug. 9, 1921 1,487,283 Stevenson Mar. 19, 1924 1,592,249 Wyatt July 13, 1926 2,348,160 Thornhill May 2, 1944 2,368,137 Harmon Jan. 30, 19.45 2,477,882 .La Brie Aug. 2, 1949 2,480,229 ZDow Aug. 30, 1949 

